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AMSHASPANDS

trees and fodder and corn and fruit grow upon her; men and animals thrive upon her. She yields nourishment and prosperity unto all.[1] The faithful who wish to propitiate her should propitiate both the earth and virtuous women.[2]

Spandarmad in the Pahlavi period takes up a new function which was not hers in the earlier times. She becomes the guardian of virtuous women, as intimated in the close of the preceding paragraph.[3] Whoever desires to propitiate her, should propitiate the virtuous women;[4] and through her intervention men pray for noble wives.[5] When a faithless wife of a righteous husband has her abode on her earth, Spandarmad is in sore distress.[6] She will rout her adversary Taromat at the Renovation.[7]

Khurdad

The giver of daily bread. He is the lord of the divisions of time, the years and months and days, and it is through him that a good man lives an honest and happy life during the year.[8] On the material side this archangel has water for his special care,[9] and Zaratusht is commissioned by this archangel to advocate good use of it in the world.[10] As water gives fertility to the land and is the source of prosperity, Khurdad is taken as the possession of plenty and prosperity, and is invoked by the pious to bestow these gifts upon mankind.[11] The waters of Khurdad bring purity unto all. No living being can live without this precious element. The earth of Spandarmad becomes fertile owing to Khurdad's water; Amardad grows trees owing to his waters. Because he spreads prosperity everywhere, 'prosperity' becomes his very name.[12] Food and drink are his gifts.[13] It is said that the daily bread which every one obtains in this

  1. ↑ Āfrin-i Rapithwin; Sitāyish-i Spandarmad in Pāzend Texts, p. 99, 244.
  2. ↑ SLS. 15. 20.
  3. ↑ SLS. 15. 5.
  4. ↑ SLS. 15. 20.
  5. ↑ SLS. 22. 5.
  6. ↑ SLS. 15. 22.
  7. ↑ Bd. 30. 29.
  8. ↑ Āfrin-i Rapithwin in Pāzend Texts, p. 99.
  9. ↑ SLS. 9. 8; 13. 14; 15. 5.
  10. ↑ Zsp. 22. 11.
  11. ↑ SLS. 22. 6.
  12. ↑ Āfrin-i Rapithwin; Sitāyish-i Khurdād in Pāzend Texts, p. 99, 244.
  13. ↑ Dk., vol. 7, p. 461.
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